Jeremiah 3:19-5:9

New International Version

¹⁹“I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,^(A)
    the most beautiful inheritance^(B) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’^(C)
    and not turn away from following me.
²⁰But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
    so you, Israel, have been unfaithful^(D) to me,”
declares the Lord.

²¹A cry is heard on the barren heights,^(E)
the weeping^(F) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten^(G) the Lord their God.

²²“Return,^(H) faithless people;
I will cure^(I) you of backsliding.”^(J)

“Yes, we will come to you,
    for you are the Lord our God.
²³Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills^(K)
    and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
    is the salvation^(L) of Israel.
²⁴From our youth shameful^(M) gods have consumed
    the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
    their sons and daughters.
²⁵Let us lie down in our shame,^(N)
    and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned^(O) against the Lord our God,
    both we and our ancestors;^(P)
from our youth^(Q) till this day
    we have not obeyed^(R) the Lord our God.”

4 “If you, Israel, will return,^(S)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols^(T) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
²and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,^(U) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(V)
then the nations will invoke blessings^(W) by him
    and in him they will boast.^(X)”

³This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground^(Y)
    and do not sow among thorns.^(Z)
⁴Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,^(AA)
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath^(AB) will flare up and burn like fire^(AC)
    because of the evil^(AD) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench^(AE) it.

Disaster From the North

⁵“Announce in Judah and proclaim^(AF) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet^(AG) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’^(AH)
⁶Raise the signal^(AI) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster^(AJ) from the north,^(AK)
    even terrible destruction.”

⁷A lion^(AL) has come out of his lair;^(AM)
    a destroyer^(AN) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste^(AO) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins^(AP)
    without inhabitant.
⁸So put on sackcloth,^(AQ)
    lament^(AR) and wail,
for the fierce anger^(AS) of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

⁹“In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,^(AT)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”^(AU)

¹⁰Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived^(AV) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’^(AW) when the sword is at our throats!”

¹¹At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind^(AX) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; ¹²a wind^(AY) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments^(AZ) against them.”

¹³Look! He advances like the clouds,^(BA)
    his chariots^(BB) come like a whirlwind,^(BC)
his horses^(BD) are swifter than eagles.^(BE)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!^(BF)
¹⁴Jerusalem, wash^(BG) the evil from your heart and be saved.^(BH)
    How long^(BI) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
¹⁵A voice is announcing from Dan,^(BJ)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.^(BK)
¹⁶“Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,^(BL)
    raising a war cry^(BM) against the cities of Judah.^(BN)
¹⁷They surround^(BO) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled^(BP) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
¹⁸“Your own conduct and actions^(BQ)
    have brought this on you.^(BR)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter^(BS) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

¹⁹Oh, my anguish, my anguish!^(BT)
    I writhe in pain.^(BU)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds^(BV) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.^(BW)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;^(BX)
    I have heard the battle cry.^(BY)
²⁰Disaster follows disaster;^(BZ)
    the whole land lies in ruins.^(CA)
In an instant my tents^(CB) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
²¹How long must I see the battle standard^(CC)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?^(CD)

²²“My people are fools;^(CE)
    they do not know me.^(CF)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.^(CG)
They are skilled in doing evil;^(CH)
    they know not how to do good.”^(CI)

²³I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;^(CJ)
and at the heavens,
    and their light^(CK) was gone.
²⁴I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;^(CL)
    all the hills were swaying.
²⁵I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.^(CM)
²⁶I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;^(CN)
    all its towns lay in ruins^(CO)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.^(CP)

²⁷This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,^(CQ)
    though I will not destroy^(CR) it completely.
²⁸Therefore the earth will mourn^(CS)
    and the heavens above grow dark,^(CT)
because I have spoken and will not relent,^(CU)
    I have decided and will not turn back.^(CV)”

²⁹At the sound of horsemen and archers^(CW)
    every town takes to flight.^(CX)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.^(CY)
All the towns are deserted;^(CZ)
    no one lives in them.

³⁰What are you doing,^(DA) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels^(DB) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?^(DC)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers^(DD) despise you;
    they want to kill you.^(DE)

³¹I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,^(DF)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion^(DG) gasping for breath,^(DH)
    stretching out her hands^(DI) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”^(DJ)

Not One Is Upright

5 “Go up and down^(DK) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,^(DL)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person^(DM)
    who deals honestly^(DN) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive^(DO) this city.
²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(DP)
    still they are swearing falsely.^(DQ)”

³Lord, do not your eyes^(DR) look for truth?
    You struck^(DS) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.^(DT)
They made their faces harder than stone^(DU)
    and refused to repent.^(DV)
⁴I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,^(DW)
for they do not know^(DX) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵So I will go to the leaders^(DY)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.^(DZ)
⁶Therefore a lion from the forest^(EA) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage^(EB) them,
a leopard^(EC) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.^(ED)

⁷“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn^(EE) by gods that are not gods.^(EF)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery^(EG)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.^(EH)
⁸They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.^(EI)
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”^(EJ)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(EK) myself
    on such a nation as this?